In 2013, a woman named Rachel Hyman reached out to me on Twitter to talk neighborhoods.

We were both working in that space; me through this site, her through Anthology of Chicago. We combined forces to create “Welcome to the Neighborhood,” a reading series that would explore Chicago through its component elements.

An itinerant, homeless series, we go where we’re needed. We’ve raised funds for a literacy nonprofit at a Logan Square bar, feted Studs Terkel at the University of Chicago and packed the house twice at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Starting in 2014, we’ve had local artists illustrate the stories, turning each performance into a dynamic visual experience the Chicago Tribune called “a living graphic novel.”

Find out where we’re going next and see photos from past readings at our Facebook page.